Fortitude - General Discussion

[mjc570]

Sorry, nothing useful to say. 

Edited April 16, 2017 by mjc570
don't know how to delete.

[OoogleEyes]

When a new season of a show starts,  I like to go back and watch the last two episodes of the prior season to catch me up

We'll, this remind me that even though this show was kind of  bat-shit crazy, it was gorgeous to watch. I loved it. 

Onward to Season Two

[AuntiePam]

2 hours ago, raven said:

This season feels differently, less gritty or something than S1.  Maybe I'll be the only one watching!

Maybe!  I haven't decided yet.  It's weird, but even after just one season, this feels formulaic.  It usually takes awhile longer for that to happen.  We'll have an over-arcing mystery, townspeople behaving suspiciously (and not communicating), and gory deaths. 

I'd forgotten all about the mammoth gravesite, so how dumb was it for the scientist to bring anything away from that site.  I've also forgotten who everyone is.  Did the governor and Dan have an affair?  Or did her husband have an affair?  I'm remembering an affair.

[raven]

1 minute ago, AuntiePam said:

Or did her husband have an affair? 

The husband, Eric, had the affair. I don't remember if it was with Elena or someone else.  IIRC at the end of S1 she took him back and he said he loved her and seemed to mean it.

You might be right, it does feel formulaic and I'm not sure what the Dennis Quaid character adds.  I'm up to the 5th episode so it's still holding my interest, plus it's gorgeous to look at.

That cannibalism cold opening was something though. 

[zibnchy]

I've been binging this on Amazon so season 1 is fresh in my mind. Here's my 2 cents.

Hate Dennis Quaid. I don't know if he can act because I can't get past the perpetual smirk on his face. I don't hate his character but would prefer anyone else play it. I also hate Dr. Khatri. I'm just so sick of the "evil scientist who keeps people alive to experiment on" trope. It's boring. Also we knew from the minute she appeared that she's evil because we've all seen TV before.

So this picks up about 7 weeks after season 1. It was completely unbelievable that Vince survived the blast and now, after 7 weeks, he's got a full head of hair and just a few scars. Unbelievable bullshit like that is just unnecessary. Vince should have died - he's not an interesting enough character. But if Vince had died we couldn't have Natalie fall in love with him for no apparent reason. Maybe a bear will eat them both.

Elena has been unconscious for almost 2 months yet her eyebrows are perfectly groomed. Dr. K must have had some free time.

I miss Henry and Morton. Ingrid is a terrible cop but she's also so very young. Put some gloves on, for crying out loud. I could have lived without the brother character. Why does every show have to have a sassy teenaged brat? Do they think the teen demographic is remotely interested in Fortitude? Continue to love Hildy but I don't know why.

Edited April 16, 2017 by zibnchy

[Valny]

It was a decent opener, it started with the weirdness right away and ended with whoa!  Didn't expect to see Dan all red eyed and crazy.

I really thought beginning in the grocery store with governor was going to be her dream because it was a little jarring seeing the lack of food on the shelves and the kid with the hatchet and such.   Fortitude looks like an even more godforsaken place to live than last season!

Looking forward to this new fresh hell they have in store this season.

[zxy556575]

On 4/15/2017 at 8:38 PM, zibnchy said:

Hate Dennis Quaid. I don't know if he can act because I can't get past the perpetual smirk on his face. I don't hate his character but would prefer anyone else play it. I also hate Dr. Khatri. I'm just so sick of the "evil scientist who keeps people alive to experiment on" trope. It's boring. Also we knew from the minute she appeared that she's evil because we've all seen TV before.

Right? I don't dislike the character but am averse to Quaid playing him for some unknown reason. My mind can't get past, "What's Dennis Quaid doing in Fortitude?" Not disliking the character doesn't mean I'm exactly thrilled about his dying wife, financial woes, failed business, blah blah. Move somewhere else already!

There are no new bad guy archetypes, but plots involving secretive Russians, mad scientists, and corrupt municipal officials aren't keeping me on the edge of my seat or anything.

That said, I'm still watching.

[zxy556575]

Here's a CliffsNotes refresher of season one: anyone is liable to die at any time.

[rubyred]

Oh for fuck's sake. 

I miss the mystery of season 1. It's not that there aren't mysteries in season 2, it's that they're not good ones (IMO). And Dennis Quaid is no replacement for Stanley Tucci.

Edited April 17, 2017 by rubyred
spoiler tag issues

[mjc570]

Yes, Rubyred, I couldn't agree more.  Dennis Quaid really wasn't a good choice, I'm always conscious that he's playing a role.  The blond cop is more irritating in every episode (so what if she's an alcoholic, who isn't up there).  I don't think there are any mysteries left, since everyone has been running expositing.  I find myself wondering about petty stuff, like are they paying for the bar drinks now that the bartender/assassin is dead.  I'll keep watching it, but after what happened here, I don't expect to enjoy it.

Also:   Hate Dan.  He stalked Elena last season, now he's her true love? 

[mjc570]

So, if I've got this right:  Dan is the demon, but (except for Elena) hasn't actually done anything bad yet.  The murders/mutilations were performed by Vladyk, the Christ-like shaman, who is there to oppose the demon? 

Could not care less about Freya/Dennis Quaid/creepy reindeer-urine drug girl friend.  Tired of the 2 policewomen. 

Really, I only liked Hildur and she's gone.  Unless it's a great make-up job, Ken Stott has not aged well. 

[mjc570]

What an underwhelming ending.  I can't even figure out what happened at the very end, when Petra went into Dan's office - did he eat her?  Did she try to kill him?  Did they "get it on"? 

It's been less than an hour since I watched it, and I can't even remember if Freya dies or not, or what happened to Natalie after Vincent gave her the reindeer juice. 

I thought Dennis Quaid was a poor choice - both his overacting and the writing, but Ken Stott turned out to be great, really making that ridiculous, cowardly character somewhat believable. 

[NeenerNeener]

I'm pretty sure Freya died when she saw the dead Shaman, and Natalie seemed to be convulsing while Vincent watched. We'll never know if the reindeer juice worked or not. As for what happen to Petra, beats the hell out of me. I guess that's left for fan fiction, along with the results of the muscimol treatment.

I usually like Dennis Quaid, but I wasn't buying him in this role. I wish Quaid and Eccleston could have switched parts.

[AuntiePam]

Will there be a third season?  Seems like it's set up for more shenanigans. 

I don't think anything happened to Petra.  She and Dan seemed to have come to an understanding.  She knows his role -- protecting Fortitude -- and Dan seemed fine with it.  I don't think he'll be eating anyone who doesn't deserve it.

Why was Michael out in the middle of nowhere and how did the Black Ops guy know where to find him? 

The one thing that bugged me was Michael gallivanting around while Freya was so ill.  I get why he wanted to go fishing -- he needed money to pay for her medical treatment -- but after finding her collapsed outside, he should have either stayed close to home or made sure someone was with her. 

Film these days continues to amaze me -- the things they can do.  Like Hildur falling into that sinkhole, and Munk crashing through the window -- it looked so real. 

Oh, and Dan swimming in that ice-cold water -- was that real?  Was he wearing insulating gear under his clothes?  Or was it fake?

[raven]

On 4/17/2017 at 8:42 PM, mjc570 said:

He stalked Elena last season, now he's her true love? 

I'm glad that his unplugging her enabled her to get out of evil Dr. Khatri's clutches but I can't get on board with Dan as hero, if that's what they're going for (I hope not!)

Last season he was creepy and complicated and made the difficult choice to shoot her when when she was going stabby; I just am not sure what's going on with him here.  Did he recover because he's able to regenerate like the people in 1942?  He wasn't bitten by the wasps though. 

Hildur should know better than to confront the guy she suspects of being corrupt in such an out of the way place, all alone.   That felt liked a pointless death and I'll be annoyed if it was only to spur Eric to action.  Her being balanced in the sinkhole was scary looking, kudos to the show for that effect.

It's been a few weeks since I started watching, so I don't know why the barman killed Bianca, if it was explained.  I know Munk knew about it and that's all. 

Why is Freya hiding the shaman?  Why is he there with her at all?  That confuses me, since he doesn't seem able or willing to "cure" her.  So he's the one killing everyone, because of the demon theory?  Did we need to see shaman penis last episode?  It feels like there's extra gore (the shower scene stabbing) just for gore's sake this season.

I had to laugh at Freya's putting the huge bloody bandage in the kitchen trash!!! Gross, Freya!  Of course Ingrid, after searching, just believes whatever.  Ingrid seems nice enough but really isn't police material.  Then again, policing in Fortitude was probably pretty simple until Dan started feeding people to bears and the wasps broke out.

I'm not really interested in Dennis Quaid, his annoying son or the annoying girlfriend.  I agree he feels out of place here.

Will try to wrap it up tomorrow.

[Bobcatkitten]

Ugh the first season was tightly written around one mystery. This is all over the place. And none of it is good.

[raven]

On 4/22/2017 at 4:14 PM, AuntiePam said:

The one thing that bugged me was Michael gallivanting around while Freya was so ill. 

Michael was awful.  Finally, finally, he gets Freya home with the family and she just want to let go but noooo he has to go running after Dan to try to save her because "I won't be me!"  Then she dies alone (I'm guessing, since she saw the shaman) because he was out doing stuff to make himself feel better.  Asshole. 

The Michael/Freya/family plot was useless; the reindeer juice plot could have been handled within the current cast.  Ingrid is not bright and is a terrible police officer and Michael's other kid and the girlfriend were boring and/or awful.

I think the disease infecting Fortitude isn't the wasps or whatever, it's unbelievable stupidity.  The doctor not noticing Freya stealing meds, Freya bumbling around after the shaman and then setting the fire in the mines,  Vincent and Natalie leaving the hospital to let mad doctor Khatri work on Natalie AFTER Natalie suspects Khatri of experimentation!, Petra hanging out in the police station after the car accident rather than going to the hospital, Petra NOT shooting Dan in the head, just watching while he kills the shaman.  

As beautiful as this show is to look at, I probably won't be watching S3 if there is one, if we've got Dan running around like Michael Myers, completely indestructible.   Poor Elena, who came to Fortitude for a live quietly, ends up being raped, infected, obsessed over, experimented on and ultimately murdered.

I like odd shows and don't mind gore but it felt a lot of the time as if this season was overloading on both "just because", 

[uoflfan]

I am so mad they killed off Sofie Grabol that I have no interest in future seasons.  Crazy Dan running the town doesn't seem like a good idea for a 3rd season.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 4/17/2017 at 0:05 AM, Lord Donia said:

Here's a CliffsNotes refresher of season one: anyone is liable to die at any time.

Most likely in a really gross and horrible way.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 4/15/2017 at 5:47 PM, raven said:

2 episodes in and there's cannibalism (albeit not in the present), beheading, animal mutilation and animal guts in an autopsy and yet the scariest thing is Parminder Nagra's Dr. Khatri keeping Elena in a comatose state for some purpose!  Creeepy.

Along with Natalie saving one of the S1 wasps (and not telling Vincent) after she and Vincent dropped tons of ice on the mammoth grave, I'm not loving the scientists this time around.

Not sure why the bigwigs in Oslo replaced Hildur, even though she released the boat fuel.   I mean, who the hell wants to be Governor of Fortitude?  No one, is my guess.

So is the Ingrid the worst cop ever?  Obnoxious young guy is her brother but he was swinging an AXE in grocery store and doesn't even get a couple of nights in jail?  And why do Fortitude police just randomly pick up stuff in a suspect's house?  I don't mean the brother's belt, all that other stuff.  Never mind Petra taking a swig out of the flask without knowing what's in it.

This season feels differently, less gritty or something than S1.  Maybe I'll be the only one watching!

That scientist lady is super creepy, and it's so sad that Natalie knows very well how Vincent feels about the wasps, and yet she's keeping one a secret from him, and doing secret experiments. Yeah, that will go well.

Poor Elena! I hated her at the beginning of season 1, but by the end of the season I liked her and sympathized with her.

Ingrid keeps threatening to shoot people and then not shooting them even when they ignore her. How will anyone take her seriously as a cop if she keeps doing that?

An axe in a grocery store...just another normal day in Fortitude.

Hildur should have gone to that place with the cheese festival. There doesn't seem to be a good reason why she and Eric are staying in Fortitude (or any of them, for that matter). No one seems to like it there.

[Kelda Feegle]

Dan in a hospital gown, hat and boots - love it!

[KaleyFirefly]

Nothing even happened in this episode! This is nothing like season 1. It's so boring so far.

[sjohnson]

I'm pretty sure the show tells itself it's glorification of Dan is ironic, but I think it's about the only sincere emotion the show has. Yes, it sincerely despises Eric and Vincent, but contempt for the beta male is implied in the alpha worship for Dan. 

Yes, Michael is awful for abandoning his sick wife. Yes, Freya is awful for conniving at murders because she's superstitious and hopes for a cure. Rune is awful for being mesmerized by Yeva. Yeva is awful for being mean as a striped snake head game playing wretch who doesn't care if people are getting killed because she's no snitch.

Hildur died because she wanted to trade a free pass for a crook for her office back. Personally I've never been convinced she's any smarter than Eric, who at least seems to suffer from clinical depression and therefore has an excuse. So it's moot whether she knew she was giving a free pass to the dude who brought in the hit man who murdered Bianca (I'm not sure they explained why, incidentally.) Worse, I'm not sure she would care if she did. But I'm quite sure the show really thinks the people should have loved her. Perhaps they think of her as one of them, the bosses?

In short, I'm inclined to think Fortitude is another exhibit supporting the charge that Hollywood is run by psychopaths. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Robert Sheehan and the cast of Genius: Picasso discuss S2

[raven]

Foritude to return for final mini-series

Quote

Richard Dormer will return as the, at times, maniacal Sheriff Anderson, alongside Dennis Quaid as trawlerman Michael Lennox, Sienna Guillory and Luke Treadaway as scientists Natalie Yelburton and Vincent Rattrey, plus new cast to be announced at a later date.

Announced only on Sky Atlantic so far but maybe Amazon will air it.   I said I wouldn't watch it but I probably will if I can; with the major players returning I'm curious how they will wrap it up.  Hopefully Dan will get what he deserves.

[ApathyMonger]

Wow, I assumed it was dead. Glad it's coming back.

[krankydoodle]

Fortitude season 3 trailer on Twitter and more details about the various plots from RadioTimes.

I'm still surprised by how much of the cast they got to come back, especially Dennis Quaid. I'm just hoping things work out for beleaguered scientists Natalie and Vincent.

[blackwing]

I just finished Season 1 and I don't think I've seen such a weird show in a long time.  This series was recommended to me by a friend.  The concept sounded great.  Murder mystery set in the Arctic.  However, I wasn't prepared for the gore, the weirdness, the creepiness.  I especially didn't appreciate the jump scenes, the ones that would cause you to throw your popcorn in the air if you were watching at the theater.  Example #1: when Carrie was wandering around the house looking for Elena and she was in the shadows behind the doorway.  Don't really like watching shows through a crack between my fingers.

In the end, I guess it wasn't as Twin Peaksy as I had thought... there was apparently a logical and fairly scientific explanation for why half the town was going bonkers... but it was still weird.

On 3/7/2015 at 8:38 PM, Netfoot said:

I just can't understand why Casting would choose four principal actresses with short, dark hair.  Every goddam scene I'm like "Wait!  Which one is this?"

Yes!  This was my initial problem with series... everyone looked the same and there was very little introduction or explanation.  It was like we were thrust into the series from the start and it was already episode #5.

On 4/9/2015 at 11:00 PM, SierraMist said:

Well, so that's it.  Yuri is who knows how far down trapped with a multitude of mammoths.  Eric didn't say anything about that.  He was too busy reconciling with his wife.  I feel like we missed an episode.  Suddenly Elena is infected, Carrie never is, and Jason is sort of infected but shoots himself.  Still not sure why he attacked Natalie.  Dan shoots Elena but she survives? Richard Dormer was brilliant in this episode as he has been all along.  

 

I never could make sense of the black guy.  Who was he and why was he helping the Russian.  Although I thought it was pretty funny when he just got on the snowmobile and took off. 

 

I don't think Erik knew what happened to the Russian.  He did ask if anyone was down there in the hole but didn't get a response so maybe he assumed the guy was purposely ignoring him.  I didn't fully understand why some got infected but others didn't. 

Jason is infected and he attacks Natalie but then there are no consequences from it?  Like she didn't report it or try and get the cops to subdue him?  If he was infected and crazy and trying to vomit the wasp eggs into her abdomen how come he didn't try and cut her open?  Ronnie got infected but didn't try and attack anyone?  Did he lock himself into that utility closet or did Jason do it?  Some said that Elena got infected when she was by the statue and they were burning the mammoth, but I thought she was already infected before then, I assumed it was when she was in Ronnie's house and maybe a wasp or something got out in a scene we didn't see.

I never figured out what was up with Max (the Russian's friend who abandoned him) and why Erik didn't arrest him when he got back to town.  Or the taxidermist... seemed like a pointless character.  I hated the creepy teacher most of all.  Everything about him was creepy.  But overall I don't understand the point to his character.  Or why he was trying to fatten up his girlfriend.

I know this was a British/Norwegian co-production.  Are all Scandinavian shows like this?  I feel like the way it was filmed, it's like we were shown some scenes mid-scene.  Like we missed the beginning and the ending, because... "art".  The character development was strange and uneven.  The two policewomen, Ingrid, and... Other One, could have been the same character.  It took me some time to figure out that the Scientist was a different character..

So many scenes seemed like they had absolutely no point.  When the young guy scientist went into the sauna and then one of the women walked in on him naked and he was all embarrassed and slipped on the floor.  Why?  The entire character of Henry who wanted to die and then leave and then died.  The voodoo doll filled with blood... why?

Frank slept with Elena and Jules left him at the end of the season.  Is Liam cured?  How?  Erik slept with Trish Stoddard who moved back to England and Hildur took him back.  Jason slept with the scientist and his wife apparently had no clue.  Was there a plot point to all this or was it just to create confusion and suspense.

From reading the posts here about Season 2, it sounds like it's even weirder but with less satisfaction?  Not sure if I am going to tune in.

[krankydoodle]

Has anyone watched season 3? I couldn't resist reading the episode summaries on Wikipedia and it sounds full-on bonkers.

[lidarose9]

I just finished season 3 (which is only 4 episodes), and it was complete and utter trash. Mostly torture porn with some additional nonsense thrown in. Season 1 was pretty good. Season 2 is OK (more or less), but please do yourself a favor and stop there. There is absolutely nothing good in Season 3. It makes no sense whatsoever. I feel sorry for the actors and crew. 

[Valny]

On 2/20/2019 at 11:14 AM, krankydoodle said:

Has anyone watched season 3? I couldn't resist reading the episode summaries on Wikipedia and it sounds full-on bonkers.

There's a season three?! I haven't even finished S2, but I loved S1.   

[krankydoodle]

Yeah, but judging by the lack of buzz about it, lidarose9's review, and the episode summaries on Wikipedia, I'm not sure it's worth watching. It's a shame considering its strong start and impressive cast.

[lidarose9]

Really, if you liked Season 1, you will be OK with Season 2. It has some problems, but it hangs together, more or less. There will be some plot threads unresolved, but you can live with it. 

Season 3 will blow that out of the water. Dangling plot threads are either ignored or further snarled, turning them into complete nonsense. New and stupider plot threads are introduced which make no sense at all. There is no resolution. None of your questions will be answered. Characters will behave in stupid and irrational ways, people will be tortured for no reason, and you will walk away from your TV disappointed, frustrated, and really mad that someone ruined a pretty good show. It's like the showrunners gave the task of writing season 3 to Beavis & Butthead.

Please don't read on, if you haven't already wasted the time necessary to watch Season 3. 

I kept waiting for someone to return to the scene of Hildur's death and find her god-dammit motherfucking cellphone with the recording of Munk's admission of guilt. NOBODY EVER DID. They had SMART PEOPLE from Oslo there for 9 weeks and nobody could manage to stand there and call her cellphone and listen for it to ring?? Unbelievable!

What was the point of making Markus the governor? The whole plot thread makes no sense. Sheriff Dan was recreating the shaman's (body part thingie) -- why? Was the new governor supposed to become the new shaman? Why would the Demon Dan want to create a shaman body part thingie? 

Natalie succeeds in curing her own blindness and passing along the parasite's eggs to a new victim -- so then what? She dies? Or turns into a Demon thing like Dan? Who knows? Who cares? Anybody? Bueller?

I can't even remember what happens to Vincent and I only watched this a few days ago. I think my mind blocked it out. 

Petra and Ingrid were the only two characters I liked and who seemed to have a clue about what was going on. Sadly, Petra loses her damn mind in Season 3. Ingrid continues to run around pointing her gun at people. Eric continues to be completely useless and clueless. Rune Lennox has disappeared, and Michael drinks, roars and pukes through most of Season 3 before being enchanted by the enchantress -- who suddenly gives up after 75 years and decides hospice is OK.  -- WHA?

New, irrelevant characters are introduced -- the cheapest solution for a storyteller who's utterly lost control of the story. Honestly I could go on and on.  

Lars the snowplow driver and Ralfi in his bunny suit are my two other favorite characters. But I am assuming the parasite infects everyone in Fortitude and they all just kill each other cuz there really is no other way for this story to end.

What a pointless waste of time. Even in a pandemic quarantine. 

(I want to put in a plug for the guy who played the shaman, Robert Sheehan. He's in a really good Irish TV series called "Love/Hate" -- if you can find it, watch it.) 

 

[TVForever]

SOMEBODY, PLEASE tell me where to find Season 3!! 

[krankydoodle]

On 7/25/2020 at 10:19 PM, TVForever said:

SOMEBODY, PLEASE tell me where to find Season 3!! 

I don't know why Amazon US doesn't have it yet since it's been well over a year since it aired in the UK. It is available on Amazon UK, but I assume it's region-locked.